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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24728836">Team Science</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CerendaRoth/pseuds/CerendaRoth'>CerendaRoth</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 02:27:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,681</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24728836</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CerendaRoth/pseuds/CerendaRoth</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>To others, Gyro Gearloose was close-minded, arrogant, and most-decidedly, anti-social.  Being the head of research and development at McDuck Enterprises, Gyro preferred working in the lab by himself.  So, to say the least, it was not part of Gyro’s plan to suddenly invite other people into his life.</p><p>Or:</p><p>Gyro spends three moments with different characters from the show and starts to open up because of it.</p><p>Chapter 1: Fenton<br/>Chapter 2: Huey<br/>Chapter 3: Boyd</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>102</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Fenton</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Working under Scrooge McDuck had provided the perfect opportunity for Gyro to work freely on his inventions.  There are a lot of scientists out there that have innovative ideas, but because they lack a third party to back them up financially, these ideas often fail to come to fruition.  For Gyro, McDuck supplied a massive underwater laboratory complete with the latest equipment.  And while clashes over funding and invention ideas could be an area of conflict, Gyro thoroughly enjoyed his work.  After all, why else would he have spent over a decade working as the head of research and development under McDuck Enterprises?</p><p>The lab was always quiet due to its location underneath the Money Bin, just as Gyro preferred it.  He often spent the majority of his day in the lab, leaving for work in the early morning light and returning to his apartment by the time that the sun had already set.  Some might find the lifestyle tiresome, but to Gyro, anything that helped him focus on his work while also serving as a way to help him avoid the idiocy of the general population was perfect.</p><p>Gyro took a step back to survey his latest invention.  It was a sleek, medium-sized machine that prominently featured a large drill in the front.  Gyro took one last look at its internal framework, making sure that everything was in place, before closing the panel.  As per tradition, Mr. McDuck would be coming to see his recent progress, a custom that they had upheld for several years now.</p><p>Manny tapped his hoof on the floor.  <em> “Mr. McDuck is on the elevator’s webcam.” </em></p><p>“Good work Manny.  You can greet him at the elevator door.”</p><p>Manny nodded, or at least, the bust with Scrooge’s head moved to indicate that he had heard Gyro.  Manny walked to the elevator, waiting for Scrooge’s arrival.</p><p>Albeit, Manny was a recent addition to the lab’s workforce, but despite not usually preferring company while he worked, Gyro didn’t mind Manny’s presence.  Manny mostly kept to himself and was excellent at taking care of menial tasks like cleaning and filing reports.</p><p>The elevator door dinged and Manny led Scrooge into the lab as the door opened.  Scrooge tipped his hat in acknowledgment.</p><p>“Thank you Manny.  So, Gyro, what do you have for me this week?”  Scrooge asked, setting his cane in front of him as he looked at the invention.</p><p>Gyro straightened his glasses, smirking, as he held out his hand in the direction of the machine.</p><p>“This is the Excavation Station<b>.</b>  Perfect for taking on adventures, it uses a voice activation system that enables the user to dig through tunnels, crush through stones, and safely gather treasure.  Excavation, show Mr. McDuck all of the tools you have on hand.”</p><p>At Gyro’s voice, the device lit up, driving around them in circles before opening its top panel, revealing an array of different archaeological tools, including a pick axe, shovel, and several brushes.</p><p>Scrooge let out a low whistle.  “Impressive work Gyro.  This will save me quite a bit of time with those more difficult passageways.  I have to say that this might be one of your best ideas yet.”</p><p>Gyro swelled his chest.  “It’s been a long time in the making.  Unfortunately, it’s still just a prototype.  I’ll have to run through some of the bugs before it’s properly finished.” </p><p>Gyro didn’t miss the way that Scrooge had slightly frowned. </p><p>“What is it?”  Gyro asked in a flat tone.</p><p>“Don’t get me wrong Gyro, it’s a fine idea.  But, well...how do I phrase this?  To be honest, I was hoping that you’d be able to show me a finished project when I came down here today.” </p><p>Gyro bristled.  “Mr. McDuck, inventions often take several weeks of planning-”</p><p>Scrooge held up his hand.  “Trust me, I know how much time and hard work it takes to complete a large undertaking, especially when you’re working self-sufficiently.  But I think that might be part of the problem.  Have you ever considered taking on extra help around here?”</p><p>As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Scrooge’s argument was well-founded.  Ever since Gyro had taken on Project Blatherskite, he had found that it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with his other work.  Of course, he couldn’t reveal this to Scrooge.  The project was secretive for a reason.  </p><p>Still, Gyro blanched at the idea of hiring another worker.</p><p>“With all due respect Mr. McDuck, I do <em> not </em> need another scientist.  I seriously doubt that they would be receptive to my ideas and they would only be an inconvenience.  It would be pointless anyway.  Manny has been perfectly suitable in taking care of tasks around the lab.”</p><p>“It doesn’t necessarily have to be another scientist,” Scrooge interjected.  “It could be something more along the lines, of say, an intern.  Someone with enough technical experience that they can assist you but who also won’t get in your way with any creative differences.”  Scrooge cleared his throat.  “Besides, that way I wouldn’t have to worry about paying for another person’s paycheck.  It’ll be convenient since most interns work for free.”</p><p>Scrooge turned back to face the elevator.  “Anyway, I better get going.  We have an adventure planned for the entire weekend and it’s going to take some time to get all of the necessary preparations ready.  Just think it over for a bit.  Who knows?  Maybe it will help open you up to some new perspectives.  Well, I’ll see you next week Gyro.”</p><p>When the elevator door closed, Gyro groaned before slumping down at his desk.  As if he could ignore a suggestion from Scrooge McDuck himself.  Manny cautiously turned to face Gyro.</p><p>Gyro shot him a dirty look.  “Don’t even say anything Manny.”</p><hr/><p>When Gyro published his request for an intern online, he was immediately overwhelmed by the wave of potential applicants.  The opportunity to work under Scrooge McDuck’s employee at one of the most well-known labs in Duckburg had garnered a large amount of attention.  Unfortunately, during the actual interviews, many applicants turned down the position when Gyro revealed that it came with no pay.</p><p>Gyro sighed, leaning back in his seat.  Yet another interview had ended with the applicant leaving in a huff, complaining about having to work for free.  Gyro grabbed a pen, crossing out another name on the clipboard before seeing that he had reached the last name on the page.</p><p>“Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera…” He read out loud.  Hopefully this one would hold some potential.  “Alright, next!”</p><p>A duck with light brown feathers and wild hair stumbled into the room.  His eyes swept across the lab before landing on Gyro.  He broke into a wide grin, quickly coming forward to shake Gyro’s hand.</p><p>“Dr. Gearloose, it is such an honor to meet you.  I can’t tell you how much I admire your work.  Your inventions are a large part of why I started to really pursue scientific research myself.”</p><p>Based on first impressions, Gyro didn’t like how scruffy the other duck was.  Still, he had brought up Gyro’s work, something that most of the other applicants hadn’t even acknowledged.</p><p>Gyro shrugged, but did smile slightly.  “Well, it takes a while to build up a reputation as strong as mine, but you know…” Gyro flipped through the sheets on his clipboard. “You mentioned working on scientific inventions, but I don’t see anything specific listed in your application.”</p><p>Fenton touched the back of his neck.  “I might not have ‘technical experience’ so to say, but I have done a lot of work on my own.  Actually, I was hoping that this internship would give me the experience I need to break into a scientific career.”</p><p>“Right…” Gyro trailed off.  Well, that was the end of that at least.  He crossed the name off the list, turning back to walk to the lab table on the main platform.  “I’ve heard enough.  You can leave the lab through the elevator over there.”</p><p>Seeing that Gyro was beginning to walk away, Fenton quickly stepped in front of him to stop him.  Gyro frowned.</p><p>“Wait!  I can do a demonstration with the lab equipment here!”</p><p>“That won’t be necessary,” Gyro said in a flat voice.  “Now, leave.  I have a lot of stuff I need to get done today and you’re only wasting my time.”</p><p>At Gyro’s harsh stare, Fenton nervously stepped aside.  Gyro went to the lab table, reaching for beakers from the overhead cabinet, thoroughly ignoring the duck behind him.  Fenton squared shoulders and took a deep breath.</p><p>“I know that you’ve been having a hard time finding applicants because this is a no-pay internship, but I’d be fine with working for free.”</p><p>Gyro narrowed his eyes, turning back to face Fenton.  “Were you spying in on the other interviews?”</p><p>Fenton nervously waved his hands.  “Of course not!  It wasn’t ‘spying’ per se.  I just wanted to make sure that I wouldn’t be late for my appointment, so I came in a lot earlier than my scheduled appointment.  I only happened to overhear the other applicants while I was waiting.”</p><p>Gyro groaned.  He really couldn’t believe that he was considering this.  As much as he didn’t want to admit it, the duck brought up a fair point.  He was the last one that was willing to come in for an interview, and it’s not like he had any other options.</p><p>“Every weekday.  That may also include weekends if I call you in.”</p><p>Fenton’s head shot up.  “Huh?”</p><p>Gyro rolled his eyes.  “You can have the job if you’re willing to work 9-1 Monday through Wednesday and 12-5 on Thursday’s and Friday’s.”</p><p>“Really?!  I accept!”</p><p>Gyro sighed.  “Fine.  Here are the forms you’ll need to accept the internship,” he said, handing over the paperwork.  “That includes worker’s safety.  I’m not responsible for any work-related accidents.”</p><p>Fenton nodded eagerly, scanning the page before signing and dating the form.  As Gyro took the sheet back Fenton bounced back and forth on his feet.</p><p>“So, are you going to show me around the lab, or…?”</p><p>Gyro let out an exasperated groan.  “Yes, I suppose I can give you a basic overview.”</p><p>They walked across the length of the lab, Gyro occasionally pointing out things out of note and Fenton eagerly taking in every word that Gyro said.  As they reached Gyro’s work desk, Fenton stopped as he spotted the Excavation Station.  He approached the device excitedly.  </p><p>“Is this your latest invention?”</p><p>As Fenton reached to touch it, Gyro immediately moved to pull him back.</p><p>“No touching.  This is a highly fragile machine.  Don’t go anywhere near it.”</p><p>Fenton’s face fell.  “Oh, well, if I’m not working on your projects directly, what am I here to do exactly?”</p><p>Gyro didn’t miss a beat.  “Hand me parts that I need, perform basic maintenance checks, and assist Manny with filing and cleaning tasks around the lab.”</p><p>Gyro pointed his thumb back towards Manny and Fenton jumped, taking in the sight of the headless man-horse.</p><p>Fenton waved at Manny awkwardly.  “Er, nice to meet you Manny.”</p><p>Manny tapped the floor.  <em> “Same here.” </em></p><p>“Okay, that was genuinely unexpected...” Fenton muttered to himself before turning to Gyro.  “Dr. Gearloose, I really am grateful for getting the opportunity to work under you, but well, I was hoping that I could get some more direct experience.”</p><p>Gyro looked at Fenton blankly.  “You have no qualifications, and yet you expect me to hand you the reins to work on my most valuable projects.”</p><p>“Well, not exactly, but-”</p><p>Gyro sighed.  “Follow me.”</p><p>Gyro led Fenton to the lab’s hallway.  He pointed to the bathroom.  “Here.  If you really feel the need to work on projects, do it in here.  Just keep it away from the main lab area.”</p><p>“Wow, my own space…” Fenton said in awe, looking at the door almost reverently.  “Thank you Dr. Gearloose!”  </p><p>Gyro waved him off.  “Whatever.  I better see you at nine tomorrow morning.  Otherwise you can say goodbye to the internship.”</p><p>As Gyro walked back into the lab he rubbed his temples.  He hoped that the intern wouldn’t be as incompetent as he appeared to be.  He was already feeling the beginning of a headache starting to form.</p><hr/><p>Life in the lab had changed quite rapidly after that.  And to someone that had mostly worked by himself for years, Gyro quickly found the internship to be incredibly grating.  The intern would constantly ask questions about items that Gyro had already explained to him and try to rope Gyro into conversation that he had no interest in engaging in.  He also muttered to himself as he performed tasks around the lab, like a constant buzz that would never disappear.  Not to mention the intern’s tendency to mess up on the simplest instructions, all through his overeagerness to prove himself to Gyro.  </p><p>Even though he knew that he would be hard pressed to find a replacement, Gyro had seriously contemplated firing him.  But as the first few days passed, Gyro had to grudgingly admit that the intern wasn’t entirely useless.  Things were running much more quickly now with the extra help, accidents notwithstanding.  And the intern wasn’t lying when he said that he did scientific work on his own.  Despite lacking any formal experience, the intern did demonstrate that he had a fair share of scientific knowledge as he helped Gyro with his more complicated projects.</p><p>Perhaps the most notable addition was that Gyro finally had the opportunity to focus on Project Blatherskite.  With progress going faster now, Gyro was able to devote more time to the project and he had even reluctantly allowed the intern to help him directly.  Still, Gyro didn’t miss the way that the intern’s eyes would flash with excitement whenever he talked about the project.  The intern was almost always bringing up suggestions with how the project could be improved on and used to help the general public.  It was problematic to see how much the intern focused on it, but Gyro decided to ignore it for the time-being. </p><hr/><p>The B.U.D.D.Y system was the first sign that Gyro should have gotten rid of the intern before things had gotten out of hand.</p><p>It figured that Mark Beaks’s ‘grand’ and ‘innovative’ invention had turned out to be a fraud.  After the reveal that the B.U.D.D.Y system was a stolen piece of Gyro’s technology, they had been thrown into a wild car chase that had almost ended with them crashing.  Yes, the intern had ended the conflict through his quick thinking of using the suit to make the B.U.D.D.Y system to fall into the ravine, but if he hadn’t posted Gyro’s blueprints online, they wouldn’t have been in that position in the first place.  And since Fenton had used the suit, Gyro was put in a difficult position. Letting the intern back on wasn’t because Gyro was feeling particularly generous that day.  Fenton knew too much about the project.  With Scrooge’s pilot and one of his great-nephews already knowing the identity behind Gizmoduck, Gyro couldn’t risk letting any more information about the project leak to the public.  It would be too easy to link the suit to Gyro, and he had no doubt that the project would likely be stopped if Scrooge found out he was working on something without his permission.  There really was no other option.</p><p>Still though, Gyro didn’t think that Fenton would risk pulling another stunt again.  After what he deemed the “B.U.D.D.Y system incident,” Gyro figured that Fenton would be more cautious.  Yes, they were testing the suit, but taking it out in the open and getting the public to take notice of it, well, it was like the intern was <em> asking </em>to be fired.</p><p>Gyro was now alone in the lab.  It had been a few hours since he had fired the intern for continuing to use the suit against his permission.  Their dispute had ended with Fenton taking the suit with him, and Gyro knew that there was little chance of the suit coming back in one piece with the way that the intern had been handling it.  </p><p>That was it then.  Project Blatherskite had ended just as Gyro was beginning to pull everything together.</p><p>Gyro grabbed a wrench, twisting a screw into place on the final prototype for the Excavation Station, perhaps with more force than necessary as he tried to get his mind off the day’s events.</p><p>Still, while Gyro generally enjoyed quiet while he worked, it was strange working without Fenton in the lab.  While it was initially annoying dealing with Fenton’s talkative nature, he had admittedly gotten used to working with Fenton in the background.  The silence was especially amplified since Manny had already left since his shift had ended.  It almost felt eerie. </p><p>As Gyro moved to grab a hammer, the lab’s landline phone suddenly rang, snapping him out of his thoughts.  Glad for the distraction, Gyro went to answer it.</p><p>“Gearloose labs, Dr. Gearloose speaking.”</p><p>“Ah, Gyro!  Thank goodness!  I didn’t know if I’d be able to get a hold of you.”</p><p>Gyro’s brow furrowed at the sense of urgency in his boss’s voice.  “Mr. McDuck?  What’s this about?”</p><p>“Geez lad, haven’t you heard about it?  It’s all over the news.  Really, it seems like it’s the only thing they’ve been talking about.”</p><p>Gyro adjusted the phone, holding it under his chin as he reached for the remote.  “Hold on a moment, I’m putting on the news.”</p><p>The small tv in the corner of the room flickered on and the news anchorwoman, Roxanne Featherly, flashed onto the screen.  She was standing at Duckburg’s docks.  Long lines of smoke rose behind her.</p><p>“-authorities say that the incident occurred around 4:30 pm.  During Mark Beak’s reveal of the crime-fighting suit Waddleduck 2.0, the suit’s unexpected breakdown quickly turned what should have been a simple demonstration into a horrible tragedy.  Flames quickly spread throughout the stage area while debris and other projectiles were sent into the unsuspecting crowd.  The situation would have certainly escalated if it weren’t for the work of a masked individual that retrieved the suit from Beaks and stopped it from denoting by flying over Duckburg’s harbor.  It is unknown at this time whether this masked hero survived the encounter, as authorities have been unable to locate them since the explosion.”</p><p>“That <em> idiot!”  </em>Gyro seethed.  “Is he trying to get himself killed?!”  Gyro paused, his anger slowly fading.  The gravity of the situation hit him.  He held up the phone.  “He is alright, isn’t he?”</p><p>“Don’t worry lad, he’ll be fine.  The paramedics sent him to the local hospital when he was found at the scene.  He does have a score of injuries, but so far it doesn’t look like it’s anything too severe.  Luckily, no one has made the connection that he’s Gizmoduck.  The official statement is that he was only a passerby that was caught in the explosion.” </p><p>Horror washed over Gyro.  Scrooge knew that Fenton was the one using the Gizmoduck armor.  And since Fenton was his intern, Scrooge only had to make a guess as to where the suit came from.  Gyro had practically told Scrooge himself when he had that earlier moment of panic.  The news had only said that the one using the armor was injured.  There was no mention of any other injuries.  Gyro took a deep breath.  He had to diffuse the situation.  </p><p>“Mr. McDuck, I can explain-”</p><p>“It’s alright Gyro.  I already had a suspicion during that B.U.D.D.Y system disaster.  There were only so many people there at the time, and I doubt that anyone could have known that something was wrong and come in such short notice.  Of course, I wasn’t sure until it was reported that Fenton was also found at the scene at Beaks’s demonstration today.”  There was a pause.  “You know Gyro, that intern of yours has a lot of potential.  It really is a shame that the suit was destroyed during the incident.”</p><p>There was a sense of smugness in Scrooge’s voice.</p><p>“...what are you saying?”</p><p>“I’ve been thinking of hiring him full-time.  Not many people can keep a cool head and focus on the situation at hand when things start falling into disorder.  I like taking trips abroad, but that doesn’t mean I trust that Duckburg will be left standing by the time I come back.  I’d like you to make another prototype of that suit.  Fenton’s going to be in the hospital for a while now, so I wager that you’ll have quite a bit of time.  Just make sure that you don’t include the core processor this time.  Apparently, that was what was causing the suit to malfunction in the first place.” </p><p>“You’re really considering this.”</p><p>“Of course!  Sure, he’s still new when it comes to using the suit, but I suspect that once he works with it enough he’ll be a fairly strong contender against the villains of Duckburg.  I imagine that you’ve had the same thought.  We both saw how quickly he managed to get us out of the car and destroy the B.U.D.D.Y system before too much damage was done.” </p><p>Gyro turned his attention back to the tv.  Right now, they were showing back clips of the incident.  In one of them, Fenton used the suit to hold up a falling billboard, saving a police woman and a young duckling.</p><p>Eventually, Gyro responded.</p><p>“Alright.  I’ll meet you at the hospital when I’ve finished the replacement.”</p><hr/><p>Of course, the intern was ecstatic to hear that he was not fired, and even more, that he was now hired under Scrooge McDuck’s employee.  Clearly he must have been, seeing as how he had immediately activated the suit and flown out of the hospital room despite his injuries.  Gyro shook his head as he walked out of the room.  Really, you would think that he didn’t have a shred of common sense.</p><p>Gyro stopped, seeing that Scrooge hadn’t followed him.  He looked back and saw that Scrooge was sporting a smug grin.  </p><p>Gyro narrowed his eyes.  “What?  What are you grinning about?”</p><p>“Ah, nothing much.  It’s just a bit amusing to see how nonchalant you tried to act back there.  It’s subtle, but I can tell that you were worried.  Especially during that phone call.” </p><p>Gyro remained silent.</p><p>Scrooge put his hand on Gyro’s shoulder.  “I have to say, you really know how to pick an intern.  I only suggested hiring someone to help around with work during the lab, but it’s nice to see how ambitious he is.  Fenton’s a bright lad, but make sure to keep him grounded, alright?  I think you two work off each other pretty well.”</p><p>Scrooge walked towards the hospital’s elevator.  Gyro stood in the hallway for a few seconds, mulling over Scrooge’s words, before shaking his head and moving to follow Scrooge into the elevator.</p><hr/><p>When Fenton had been officially released from the hospital (after a stern warning from the nurses to <em> not </em>suddenly leave his room until he reached a full recovery), the atmosphere was tense on his first day back at Gearloose Labs.  Fenton performed his tasks in near silence unlike his usual, talkative self, and he kept sparing occasional glances at Gyro, like he was waiting for him to unleash a huge round of explosive anger.  Finally, Fenton found that he was unable to take it any longer.  He braced himself, straightening his shoulders, before facing Gyro.</p><p>“Dr. Gearloose, I’m really sorry about taking the suit without your permission.  I know that nothing excuses it, but…” Fenton took a deep breath.  “All of my life I’ve always felt like I could do more to really make a difference.  And when I learned about Project Blatherskite I couldn’t stop thinking about the suit’s potential.  I felt like I finally had the chance to help people,” Fenton said, looking down at his hands before making eye contact with Gyro.  “I know that I’m only working here right now because Mr. McDuck hired me and you didn’t want to upset him.  I’ll try to not get in your way too much.”</p><p>Gyro held up his hand, cutting Fenton off.  “I get it.  What’s done is done.”</p><p>Fenton paused, surprised.  “Dr. Gearloose?”</p><p>Gyro leaned against his desk.  “Look, I’m still not happy with what you did.  I put a lot of time and energy into that project.  I’ve been inventing for nearly a decade now and it isn’t that often when I get that much inspiration for an idea.  If things had panned out even slightly differently, I could have faced a large penalty in funding and never would have had the chance to see that project to its completion.”  Gyro sighed.  “But, in the end, I probably should be thanking you.  Mr. McDuck was really impressed with the Gizmoduck armor.  After making project after project that’s had the tendency to go ‘evil’, I think he’s glad to see one that’s done some good for once.  And while I don’t like that you took the suit without my permission, I doubt that we would have found the problem with the core processor unless you had tested it out.”  Gyro faced Fenton directly.  “Just <em> don’t </em> pull any more stunts.  You may be working for Mr. McDuck now, but when you’re here, you report to me.  You’re still just an intern, so don’t go pushing your luck.”</p><p>Fenton smiled broadly.  “Yes, of course sir!  I promise that I’ll commit myself to following your instructions completely from now on.” </p><p>Gyro studied Fenton’s expression, and seeing that he was being genuine, he eventually nodded.  “Good.  Well, at least that’s settled.”  Gyro turned to grab a set of blueprints.  “Now that Project Blatherskite is finished, we have enough time to start on these other ideas.  I want to get a head start today so we can have a good starting point tomorrow.”  </p><p>Gyro handed the blueprints over to Fenton and Fenton eagerly went to prep the lab.  Even though Gyro had worked by himself for a while now, he found that he was steadily getting used to the idea of working alongside someone.  The intern could still be annoying, and there definitely moments where their relationship had been strained, but Gyro figured that if he had to choose anyone to be his intern, this wasn’t as bad as he had initially supposed it would be.  </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Huey</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Gyro was working on one of his inventions when he heard the familiar sound of the elevator door opening.  He groaned.  McDuck’s great-nephew (specifically, the one with a matching red cap and shirt) was here again, making it the third time that week.</p>
<p>The duckling was following Fenton into the lab, moving his hands as he talked with the intern animatedly.</p>
<p>“I was thinking about adding a feature that allows the user to directly interact with the holographic image,” Huey said.  “Like, say for instance, being able to zoom in and out on images with a touchscreen feature or letting users flip images so that they can view them from different angles.  It’ll take a lot of time to implement, but do you think it’d be something that people would be interested in?”</p>
<p>“Certainly!  That would have the potential to revolutionize the way we think about technology.  Just think about the potential that could have for construction and design,” Fenton replied.</p>
<p>As Fenton moved to take off his jacket, he noticed Gyro working at his desk.  He smiled.  “Ah, good afternoon Dr. Gearloose.  Have you made any progress?”</p>
<p>Gyro grumbled as he turned the device over, entirely focused on his project.  “I’m going to have to try installing another part.  It failed to operate properly on the last field test.”</p>
<p>Huey came up to the desk to make his own greeting.  “Hi Dr. Gearloose!  Is it okay if I work in the lab again tonight?  I’ve been working on this idea to-”</p>
<p>Gyro interrupted him.  “Yes, whatever.  Just don’t mess with any of my stuff.”</p>
<p>“Well, alright,” Huey said, a little discouraged.  “I’m going to get started, but I’ll make sure to keep the noise to a minimum.”</p>
<p>Huey moved to the small corner of the lab that was currently occupied by Gyro’s “rejects.”  Essentially, these included a range of failed inventions and spare parts that had been taken from the lab’s storage area that Gyro figured wouldn’t be too much of a hassle for the kid to mess with.  However, while Huey mostly kept to himself as he worked besides the occasional conversation with Fenton, Gyro still questioned his presence in the lab.  What could a kid that age possibly be doing with all of that stuff?  Gyro figured that he was probably just messing around with it, and it took a lot of his self-restraint to not tell the kid to hang out somewhere else in his free time.</p>
<p>Of course, he wouldn’t dare voice this.  Like it or not, the kid was related to his boss, and he doubted that Scrooge would appreciate him badmouthing his great-nephew.</p>
<p>Gyro sighed, turning his attention back to his project.  By using a scanner to analyze an individual’s molecular components, the device would be able to replicate an exact copy of the subject.  The mechanics behind it were understandably complicated and it had required quite a few revisions, but things were finally coming together.</p>
<p>Gyro held out his hand expectantly.  He only needed a few more parts to complete the final prototype.  “Intern, get me a bauble adapter.”</p>
<p>Fenton nodded eagerly.  “Of course!  Right away Dr. Gearloose!”</p>
<p>As Fenton went to the lab’s storage area, Gyro returned to his work on the cloning device.  He rose his brow, however, as time began to elapse and Fenton still hadn’t returned with the part.  Gyro swung his chair back to see what the problem was, only to find that Fenton was still rummaging through the lab’s closet.   </p>
<p>“How much time does it take to find a simple part?”  Gyro snapped.</p>
<p>Fenton turned back, sporting a nervous grin.  If possible, his messy hair seemed more disheveled.</p>
<p>“Uh, what would you say if I told you that we didn’t have that part?”</p>
<p>Gyro crossed his arms.  “Impossible.  I just did inventory last night.  I know that we have it here.”</p>
<p>“But I checked every inch of the supply closet!  Maybe it got misplaced or…” Fenton trailed off, understanding dawning in his eyes.  He looked to the side to avoid Gyro’s gaze.  “Actually, I might have given that part to Huey...”</p>
<p>Gyro stood up.  “What?!  Why would you give it to the kid?”</p>
<p>“It was in the back for the months!” Fenton protested.  “I thought that we didn’t need it!”</p>
<p>“Ugh, of all the-”</p>
<p>Gyro rubbed his face, pushing his chair back before stalking over to the corner of the lab.  However, he found himself stopping at the sight.</p>
<p>Several tools and supplies were scattered across a small workbench while blueprints filled with various sketches hung on the wall.  And in the center of it, the kid was working diligently on something that looked like a metal cube, his brows furrowed in concentration as he used a screwdriver to place a screw into place.  He was so focused that he didn’t notice Gyro until he was directly in front of him.</p>
<p>“What’s with all of this?” Gyro asked, his voice nearly hysterical.  Before giving Huey a chance to respond, Gyro’s eyes zeroed in on the project the kid was working on.  There, welded on the top was the bauble adapter.  He tore the metal cube out of the kid’s hands.  Unsurprisingly, Huey looked a little miffed.</p>
<p>“Um, is everything alright Dr. Gearloose?  Did I interrupt you?”</p>
<p>Gyro ignored him, instead setting his attention on the metal cube.  He pointed towards the part.</p>
<p>“This.  What are you doing with a bauble adapter?”</p>
<p>“I was hoping that it would help me to get my device to work,” Huey explained.  “I’ve been trying to build a holographic projector, but while I’ve been able to get it to transmit and receive messages, it’s been unable to properly convert these into 3D images.  It’s strange.  Everything should be correct and I’ve examined it several times already.  So I thought that I could try using a bauble adapter to enhance its ability to load the images.”</p>
<p>Gyro scoffed.  “This is a <em> professional </em> lab setting.  This isn’t a place where you can mess around and act out a kid’s imagination.”</p>
<p>Huey narrowed his eyes.  “It isn’t some sort of joke.  I’ve been working on this ever since I started coming to the lab two weeks ago.  And I only used the part because I thought that you didn’t need it.  I thought you said that it was okay for me to work on projects here.”</p>
<p>“By ‘projects’ I was assuming tiny trinkets.”  Gyro waved his hands in the direction of all the items scattered on the work table.  “Not whatever this is.”</p>
<p>Huey bristled.  He stood up, squaring his shoulders as he faced Gyro directly.  “Fine.  Clearly, you aren’t taking me seriously.  If it really bothers you that much, I won’t come to the lab anymore to use your supplies.”</p>
<p>Sensing the hostility, Fenton tried to intervene.</p>
<p>“Huey, wait, I’m sure that Dr. Gearloose didn’t mean that.  He’s only upset because he needed that part for a project he’s working on.  It’s my fault anyway.  I should have checked first instead of assuming that we didn’t need it.” </p>
<p>Huey turned towards Fenton and the tension in his shoulders did seem to loosen.  “It’s alright, it’s not your fault Fenton,” Huey said.  He turned towards Gyro.  “The part isn’t the problem.  You’re an amazing inventor Dr. Gearloose.  Because you go beyond what’s been set as standard, you’ve been able to create so many innovative inventions.  I’ve always admired you, but…” Huey paused, taking a breath.  “I guess meeting you in person was different than what I expected.  I’ll come to get my stuff tomorrow morning.”</p>
<p>Huey walked into the elevator and the door shut shortly afterwards.</p>
<p>Fenton’s forehead furrowed.  He faced Gyro.  “Was that really necessary?”</p>
<p>Gyro gave a bitter laugh.  “I’m the one at fault here?  Didn’t you hear what he just called me?”  Gyro pointed his finger towards the elevator.  “McDuck’s great-nephew or not, he is <em> never </em> setting foot in my lab again.”</p>
<p>“Huey’s just a kid,” Fenton argued.  “And a really brilliant one at that.  He was able to rewire and fix the problems in the Gizmoduck suit in a matter of seconds when we had been struggling with it for months.  Did you even take a chance to look at what he was working on?”</p>
<p>“Of course not!  It’s just a bunch of scrap metal welded together,” Gyro said, moving to sweep off the materials on the workbench before stopping.  He had initially assumed that everything on the bench had just been scrap materials, but they were actually a series of small devices.  As Gyro bent forward to get a closer look, he recognized one of the projects as a tagging device, typically used to obtain data on ocean topography and animal behavior by attaching the device to sea animals.  </p>
<p>Frowning, he grabbed the device, rolling the antenna with his finger as he looked back at Fenton.  “That kid.  How did he make something like this?”</p>
<p>“He told you that he made a tagging device two weeks ago,” Fenton said, trying to keep his voice even.  “Remember when he came up to your desk?  He wanted to see if we could test it at the docks here before sending it to the deep sea laboratory that Fethry watches over.”</p>
<p>While Gyro scoffed at Fenton’s tone, this didn’t stop him from examining the other devices laid out on the workbench.  Now that he was taking a closer look, it was obvious that they were made with precision and a lot of care.  Eventually, his eyes landed on the main project that Huey was working on earlier.  He had initially thought that it was nothing of note because it had simply looked like a metal cube, but a second examination revealed that there was a touchpad along the top, with clear switches and buttons along the sides.  How could a kid possess so much technique despite having no formal experience?</p>
<p>Gyro shifted his attention to Fenton, holding up the main device and briefly eyeing his reflection in the screen.  “Earlier, he said that this could project holographic images.  Does it really work?”</p>
<p>Fenton shook his head.  “Like Huey said, he can’t get the 3D images to load properly. He did ask for my help, but since I don’t have that much experience in holographic technology we haven’t been able to figure it out.”</p>
<p>Gyro examined the device for a few more seconds before setting it down.  He sighed.  “I have a lot of work I want to get done today, especially since I’m getting closer to finishing that cloning device.”  Gyro turned towards Fenton, his eyes narrowing.  “I don’t want anymore talking back.  We’re focusing all of our attention on this project.  Understand?”</p>
<p>Reluctantly, Fenton nodded.  While he wanted to continue protesting, he figured that this was the most he would be able to get Gyro to listen to.  He followed Gyro into the main lab area.</p>
<p>Gyro sat back at the workbench, moving the chair forward so he could grab the cloning device.  However, unlike usual, he found that he was having difficulty focusing.  Characteristic of his usual stubbornness though (and in an attempt to forget about the dispute with the kid), they kept at it for several more hours until the final prototype was eventually completed.  </p>
<p>It was well into the evening when Fenton retrieved his stuff and went to the elevator to leave for the day.  “I’ll see you tomorrow Dr. Gearloose,” Fenton said, trying to keep his voice somewhat upbeat.  He waited for Gyro to respond, but seeing that Gyro was focusing on organizing items on his desk, he sighed before leaving through the elevator door.   </p>
<p>After Fenton left, Gyro grabbed his keys, ready to lock up the lab for the night.  He found himself pausing though before shutting off the lights, his gaze turning towards the devices scattered across Huey’s workbench.</p>
<p>Slowly, Gyro made his way to that corner of the lab.  He held up the metal cube, a thoughtful expression on his face.  “I wonder…”</p>
<hr/>
<p>Huey walked into the lab with a little trepidation.  It wasn’t lost on him that Dr. Gearloose wouldn’t be happy to see him so soon after their argument, but he didn’t want to leave his projects in the lab for another day.  He would have taken them earlier, but the atmosphere had been so tense last night that he hadn’t wanted to be in there any longer than he had to.  Huey took a deep breath.  All he could do was make himself as small as possible and try to grab his stuff as quickly as he could.</p>
<p>Huey moved to walk past Dr. Gearloose’s workbench, hoping that he could make it to the corner of the lab without any trouble, but he froze when Dr. Gearloose suddenly addressed him.</p>
<p>“It was the coding,” Gyro said.</p>
<p>Huey blinked, pausing mid-step.  “What?”</p>
<p>“The holographic projector’s coding was done incorrectly.  That’s why it was unable to transmit the data into 3D images.  If you fix that, you should be able to get it to work,” Gyro said, tossing the projector to Huey as he stood up from his desk.</p>
<p>“You looked at my project?”  Huey asked, looking down at the device before facing Gyro, bemused.  “But I don’t understand.”</p>
<p>“I came in early to figure out why it wasn’t working.  I took some time to look at your other projects as well.  I have to say, your work isn’t half bad.  But there’s still a lot that you need to work on.”  Gyro handed Huey a notepad.  “Here.  I listed everything you need to fix with the coding on this.”  </p>
<p>Huey scanned the notepad.  “This is so comprehensive!  This must have taken you how long to complete!”  Huey said excitedly.  However, as he set the notepad down, Huey frowned slightly.  He looked up to face Gyro.  “Dr. Gearloose, I’m sorry about how I acted yesterday.  I shouldn’t have been so quick to judge you when I’ve only been in the lab for a few weeks.”  </p>
<p>Gyro held up his hand.  “Don’t apologize.  Seriously, don’t.  I barely looked at your work before writing it off, so if anything, it was understandable.”</p>
<p>Gyro leaned back against his workbench, gesturing towards the device that Huey was holding.  “As long as you keep to yourself while you work, I won’t object to you coming to the lab whenever you have an idea you want to work on.”  </p>
<p>Huey practically beamed.  “Understood!  I’m going to get started right away!  I was stuck on this problem for weeks.  It’ll be satisfying to finally finish this project.”</p>
<p>As Huey went towards his workbench, holographic projector and notepad in hand, he slowly turned back to face Gyro.  “Thank you Dr. Gearloose.  I know that this was probably relatively easy for you to figure out, but I really appreciate that you took the time to hear me out.”</p>
<p>Before Gyro could respond, Huey raced off towards his area of the lab.  Gyro watched him for a few moments before turning back towards his desk, the small corner of his mouth raised slightly.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Boyd</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Gyro made the trip to Tokyolk, he had fully intended on finally erasing the mistake that had plagued his career. 2BO had done nothing but create trouble from the day it was created. The destruction it unleashed in the city was still known as one of the most horrific events in Tokyolk’s history, nearly landing Gyro in jail and stripping him of his ability to work on scientific projects. While all of these charges were eventually lifted, the incident had forced Gyro to leave the city in the hopes that he would be able to start a new career somewhere where his name wouldn’t be as recognizable. Still, even despite his best efforts to leave his past behind him, 2BO’s creation continued to linger in the back of his mind. On days where he would have particular difficulty with an invention, he couldn’t help but feel that 2BO had been like a bad omen signaling that all of his future inventions were doomed to turn evil. So when 2BO had unexpectedly arrived in the lab...well, why wouldn’t he take the opportunity to shut down 2BO for good?</p><p>Gyro never expected that the day’s events would have turned out like this.</p><p>With the reveal that Dr. Akita had been the one behind Boyd’s malfunctioning, Gyro felt like an immense weight was lifted from his shoulders. It had probably been a little reckless in hindsight, but when Gyro opened his arms and Boyd accepted his hug, Gyro had never felt such a surge of happiness rush through him before.</p><p>However, on orders from Inspector Tezuka to leave Tokyolk, they decided to divide into two pairs to make the trip home: Gyro traveled with Fenton and his Gizmoduck suit and Boyd used his rocket booster feet to carry Huey. While the trip back to Duckburg was rather long, for Gyro, the entire trip felt like a blur. It felt so surreal. Everything that he had believed for years had been completely flipped on its head, and while it was an incredible feeling, it was also a little disorienting.</p><p>Lost in his thoughts, it took Gyro several seconds to register that they had finally returned to the Money Bin.</p><p>Fenton propelled them downwards, gently aiming towards the Money Bin’s entrance before he shut off the suit’s helmet copter. After making sure that Gyro was safely on the ground, Fenton lifted the suit’s visor up. He smiled broadly.</p><p>“Thank you again Dr. Gearloose. I promise that I’ll do everything I can to live up to your expectations as your official colleague,” Fenton said, shaking Gyro’s hand. It was obvious from his mannerisms that he was beyond ecstatic. “I’ll see you tomorrow at 9 am sharp. I can guarantee that I won’t let you down!”</p><p>Fenton waved before activating the suit’s helmet copter and shooting into the sky. At the same time, Huey was making his own goodbye to Boyd.</p><p>“You can call our landline number at any time. And don’t hesitate to drop by the mansion. We’ll have to make plans to hang out in the future,” Huey said excitedly. “When you know what times you’re free, let me know so I can make us a schedule.”</p><p>Realizing what he said, Huey fiddled with his hat. “Ah, sorry, was that a little too forward?”</p><p>Boyd shook his head. “Of course not, I want to be able to see each other again! I had so much fun today.” Boyd’s expression suddenly became a little forlorn. “You’re the first real friend I’ve had. Most people I meet treat me differently when I accidentally show off my abilities. So, thank you.”</p><p>“I haven’t really had any friends my age either. Well, outside of my brothers of course,” Huey admitted. “But it’s okay. It’s new, but we’ll figure it out together, alright?” Huey moved in to give Boyd a final hug before pulling back. “I promise that we’ll see each other later. Remember, if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to ask me. And I’m sure that Dr. Gearloose will also be willing to help you out if anything comes up.”</p><p>Not expecting to be suddenly addressed, Gyro jolted in surprise. Huey gave him an encouraging smile.</p><p>“Alright,” Huey said, stepping back. “I’ll see you later Boyd.”</p><p>With Huey making his way back to the mansion, Gyro was officially left alone with Boyd. As Boyd looked up to him, the enormity of the situation suddenly hit him. The day had been a series of constant, evolving events, and it had been easy to lose himself in those moments. But now that there was a still moment, he realized that he had no idea what he was doing. He had little to no experience with children and he already had difficulty connecting to others as it was.</p><p>Gyro took a deep breath, trying to settle his nerves. He wanted to do better. With startling clarity, he knew that more than anything, he wanted to be there for Boyd.</p><p>“I know that I didn’t do my best to stand up for you, so I wouldn’t blame you if you want to go somewhere else. I’ll help you with whatever you decide to do. But…” Gyro’s gaze grew determined. “I have an extra room in my apartment that I’m only using for storage right now. It’ll take some work, but if you want to move in, I’m sure that we can make it work. I only want to hear your honest opinion though. Don’t gloss it over if you’re afraid that you’re going to hurt my feelings. I want to know what you’re really thinking.”</p><p>Despite his words, that slight moment of hesitation from Boyd hurt him more than he was willing to admit.</p><p>Boyd seemed to notice this, however, and quickly spoke. “It’s not that I don’t want to stay with you Dr. Gearloose. Actually, I really would love to. It’s just that, well...Dr. Gearloose, do you remember when you were going through my memories?”</p><p>“With your previous owners?” Gyro asked, trying to ignore the sudden knot forming in his stomach.</p><p>Boyd nodded. “A few months ago, the Drake family found me. They were very kind, seeing as how they decided to take me in when they realized that I had nowhere else to go. I can’t imagine just leaving them after all they’ve done for me.”</p><p>Gyro looked towards the Money Bin’s entrance. His voice sounded distant, even to himself. “Well, I have my car in the garage area. If you know the way there, I can take you back to their house.”</p><p>It was the best course of action, but Gyro couldn’t stop the rolling feeling of jealousy from building. He shook his head, trying to control his thoughts. Really, he should be happy that someone took Boyd in. It was obvious that they cared for him a lot.</p><p>Boyd seemed rather subdued. “Would I be able to see you again? After not seeing each other for how long...I don’t want to be separated again.”</p><p>Gyro swallowed. “Of course,” he said shakily. He bent down to put his hand on Boyd’s shoulder. “I’m sure that we’ll see each other plenty of times. Huey was talking about making a schedule with you, right? We can do the same thing with planning visits.”</p><p>At this, Boyd seemed to brighten slightly. “I would really like that. Thank you Dr. Gearloose.”</p><p>The car ride felt like it went by too quickly. Boyd voiced the directions, perfectly able to recite the best route due to his memory, and they had soon arrived at a bizarre looking mansion. An enormous tree rose through the center of the main building, giving way to an elaborate tree house system that covered the entire span of the tree. Other brightly colored attractions like a Ferris wheel and a roller coaster track stuck out of the tree’s branches. Gyro couldn’t help but bitterly think that it put his own modestly-sized apartment to shame.</p><p>Gyro tried to put enthusiasm in his voice as he pulled the car into the driveway. “Well, here we are. Are you ready?”</p><p>Boyd stayed still, making no move to undo his seatbelt. Hesitantly, he lifted his gaze to Gyro’s. “Dr. Gearloose, I know that I said that I wanted to go back to the Drake family, but after thinking about it, I don’t know if that would be for the best.”</p><p>“What do you mean?” Gyro asked, puzzled. “I thought you said that you enjoyed staying with them.”</p><p>“I do!” Boyd protested. “I really care for mother and father, but…” Boyd looked down. “I can tell that Doofus doesn’t like me. He’s tried to find excuses to get rid of me, like when he tried to get me to break mother’s necklace. I eventually couldn’t deal with it any longer. I know that it’s bad, but when Huey took me to your lab and you offered to take us to Tokyolk, I left without letting them know. I just wanted to have a moment to myself without facing Doofus.” Boyd locked his gaze with Gyro. “And...I wanted to learn more about you Dr. Gearloose. After recognizing you, I needed to know for myself who you were.”</p><p>Gyro could only imagine the panic the Drakes must have gone through. He spoke slowly. “They’re probably worried out of their minds.”</p><p>Boyd sighed. “I know. I’m sorry.”</p><p>Gyro put his hand on Boyd’s shoulder. “They’ll care more to see that you’re okay. If it helps, I’ll be there with you. That way I can explain everything that happened today. They have a right to know about my involvement with your history. And I’m sure that they’ll be understanding if you voice your concerns.”</p><p>Boyd seemed to gain more resolve. He slowly nodded before looking up to face Gyro. “You’re right. I need to be more open. Let’s go talk to them. I don’t want to make them worry any longer than they have to.”</p><p>When they arrived at the mansion’s doorstep, Gyro squeezed Boyd’s hand encouragingly as Boyd slowly moved to ring the doorbell. Almost immediately, the door opened. A woman with short brown hair-and strangely enough, Gyro noted, a maid outfit-swept Boyd into a hug.</p><p>“Oh, Boyd! See dear, I told you that he’d come home!”</p><p>Hearing the woman’s voice, a duck dressed in a butler’s outfit entered the room. His eyes brightened when he spotted Boyd. He bent down to join the hug.</p><p>“Son! You had us so worried! When we went to the Junior Woodchucks campground to pick you up, we had no idea what to do when you weren’t there. Thank goodness you’re alright.”</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Boyd said softly as he tightened the hug. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”<br/>A few moments passed before Mrs. Drake and Mr. Drake finally stepped back. Mrs. Drake’s gaze landed on Gyro.</p><p>“Are you the one that found him?”</p><p>Gyro put his hand on the back of his neck. “In a way. Actually, it’s a long story. If it isn’t too much trouble, I have some things I want to talk through. It’d probably be best if we sat down for this.”</p><p>Mr. Drake seemed confused, but he seemed to agree readily enough. “Oh, well, certainly. I can prepare us some tea while my wife directs you to our seating room.”</p><p>Suddenly, Gyro couldn’t help but feel the exhaustion from the day’s events. Tea had never sounded so appealing before. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”</p><p>After they all moved to the mansion’s seating room, warm cups of tea in hand, Gyro slowly began to recount the day’s events to the Drakes. He made sure to include every detail, explaining his internship with Dr. Akita and Akita’s aspiration to create a machine that could create destruction with deadly precision. There was no point in glossing anything over. They had a right to know everything after all.</p><p>In the back of his mind though, Gyro couldn’t dispel the uneasy feeling that they might accuse Gyro for his involvement, or even worse, show some sign of disdain towards Boyd, but after a few minutes passed this worry quickly faded. There were no interruptions, and by the way that Mr. Drake would put his hand on Boyd’s shoulder and Mrs. Drake would smile at Boyd during the story’s more difficult points, it was clear that no matter what, they would continue to stand with Boyd.</p><p>“...And that leads us back to the present moment,” Gyro said, settling back into his seat.</p><p>Mrs. Drake was the first to speak.</p><p>“I have to say, even though I never would have guessed that was what was behind Boyd’s past, it doesn’t surprise me as much as I thought it would.” Mrs. Drake turned to her husband. “I think we both suspected that there was something more to Boyd than Beaks was letting on. Remember Doofus’s birthday party? It just didn’t make sense why Boyd would be implemented with defense mechanisms as over the top as lasers and rocket feet if he was meant to just be a stand-in for Beaks’s child for the party.”</p><p>“Still though,” Mr. Drake said, wiping his brow. “It’s a lot to take in. I mean, I feel terrible not knowing about any of this when we first took Boyd in, especially that you were Boyd’s original guardian. At the very least though, out of all of this, I’m glad that you’ve finally been reunited. It’s only right that Boyd should go back with you.”</p><p>At this, Gyro gave pause. “Wait, what are you saying?”</p><p>Mrs. Drake and Mr. Drake exchanged confused looks. Mrs. Drake raised her eyebrow. “Isn’t that what this was about?”</p><p>Inwardly, Gyro cursed his ineptness at reading social cues. Although it wasn’t his intention, the set-up did appear that way. After all, he had appeared out of nowhere and asked them to sit down before launching into a story about his involvement with Boyd’s creation.</p><p>However, he couldn’t deny that the idea of becoming Boyd’s official guardian didn’t immediately fill him with a feeling of happiness. Gyro took a breath, willing himself to push those feelings back. He had to backtrack.</p><p>“I’m glad that you see me as responsible enough to care for Boyd, but that wasn’t what I was trying to insinuate. You took in Boyd and looked after him when I wasn’t there for him.” Gyro ran his hand through his hair. “...I can’t make a major decision like that.”</p><p>Mrs. Drake shook her head. “Well, it wouldn’t be right for us either. You should give yourself more credit. I can tell from your voice that you really care for Boyd. Perhaps...we’ve been looking at this wrong way. This doesn’t have to be choosing between one or the other. We could consider joint custody.”</p><p>“It’s up to Boyd’s decision though, of course,” Mr. Drake added. “He should have the final say.”</p><p>Boyd looked uncomfortable with all of the attention suddenly placed on him. His eyes shifted nervously. “I...uh…”</p><p>Considering what Boyd had told him earlier, it didn’t surprise Gyro. He had no doubt that Boyd cared for the Drake’s, but the incident with Doofus still clearly weighed on him.</p><p>Before Gyro could speak, a loud banging noise suddenly sounded from the hallway. Knocking several items to the side, Doofus stumbled forward, his face pinched with anger.</p><p>“No, no, no! I will not stand for this! It was better when he went missing after that camping trip anyway!” Doofus yelled, pointing at Boyd. Gyro didn’t miss the way that Boyd flinched. Doofus then took a moment to look towards his parents. His face softened. “Why are you choosing him over me? Don’t you care for me anymore?”</p><p>Mr. Drake reached forward towards Doofus, panic clearly visible on his face. “Doofus, of course not! You know that your mother and I-”</p><p>“That’s enough,” Gyro said coolly. “I don’t need to hear any more.”</p><p>As the Drake’s turned to face Gyro, Doofus seethed, seeing that he had stolen his parent’s attention.</p><p>“You have no right to talk back to me! In fact, you shouldn’t even be here in the first place. No one is allowed here without my explicit permission. However, it looks like my idiotic parents have trouble following simple instructions,” Doofus said, narrowing his eyes at them before looking towards Gyro. “If I followed the conversation correctly, you’re that sentimental toaster’s creator, correct? Then it looks like you have no more business here. Leave and take that thing with you.”</p><p>Gyro stepped forward and Doofus fell back, Gyro’s height easily towering over him. He glared at Doofus, pouring every bit of intensity he could into his gaze. If there was anything Gyro was excellent at, it was the art of intimidation.</p><p>“Unfortunately, you don’t get to make that decision. And frankly, seeing the situation here, I think you’ve had too much control in this house,” Gyro said, eyes flickering towards the degrading outfits that the Drakes were wearing, piecing everything together. “I’ve heard from Boyd how you’ve treated him while he stayed here and I want to make this clear. Whenever Boyd is in this house, you will leave him alone. Don’t think that I won’t notice if you try to pull anything. Boyd is equipped with a mechanism that allows me to see everything that he’s experienced, so I’ll be able to tell if something seems off.”</p><p>Doofus’s face grew red. “You-”</p><p>Boyd cut Doofus off by holding up his hand. “I can back up Dr. Gearloose’s statement. I have everything that you directed at me recorded in my hard drive. This includes past instances where you tried to insult and manipulate me.” Boyd sighed. For a moment, his eyes reflected genuine sadness. “I did want us to become close Doofus. I tried everything I could think of to get you to like me, but it’s obvious that you never had any intention of doing the same.” His gaze hardened. “I am just as much of a member of this family as you are. If you still insist on acting as you have before, I promise you that I will longer allow you to walk all over me. The same thing goes for how you have treated mother and father.”</p><p>Doofus seemed to be at a loss for words.</p><p>“Ugh…” He mumbled, gritting his teeth. He turned towards his parents, but seeing that they had no sign of saying anything in his defense, he threw up his arms in anger. “Fine! Take his side then! Just know that you’ll regret this. That especially goes for you,” Doofus said, pointing at Gyro. “Don’t think for a second that I’ll forget about how you manipulated my parents and forced them to turn against me.”</p><p>Doofus stormed out of the room before giving a chance to respond. There was a small beat of silence.</p><p>Mr. Drake, who had been clinging to himself harshly, slowly relaxed. “Did that...did that really just happen?” He looked towards Gyro with a look of awe. “I don’t think anyone has stood up to Doofus like that before.”</p><p>“And it won’t be the last time,” Mrs. Drake said, standing up from the couch before promptly throwing off her apron and the maid cap that had rested on the top of her head. Slowly, she turned to Gyro. “I know that you expressed that you feel regret for not being there for Boyd. Well, we made our own mistakes too. Doofus has always had control in this house and because of that, it hurt Boyd as a result. Unfortunately, we can’t change how we acted in the past, but that doesn’t mean that things can’t be different moving forward.”</p><p>Something seemed to shift in Gyro’s posture. Steadily, his shoulders began to relax and his gaze grew more determined. He slowly nodded. “You’re right. I...I think I needed to hear that.”</p><p>Gyro bent down to face Boyd directly. He quickly pulled Boyd into a hug. Initially, Boyd was surprised by the sudden contact, but he soon began to relax into the hug. He rested his head against Gyro’s shoulder.</p><p>“I promise that I’ll be with you from now on,” Gyro breathed out quietly.</p><hr/><p>After going through the necessary legal proceedings, Gyro’s status as one of Boyd’s guardians was finally official. As excited as Gyro was to have the opportunity to look after Boyd, he didn’t take it lightly. He purchased nearly all the parenting books he could find, and whenever he had the time, he also looked through forums dealing with parenting advice online. He didn’t want to risk making any mistakes if he could avoid it. Even with his preparations though, it did take time for him to adjust to suddenly being one the main parental figures of a child he had to look after.</p><p>For one, his normal routine had changed quite dramatically. His day was no longer completely devoted to his work at the lab. Mornings and evenings were now spent taking and picking up Boyd after school. He and the Drakes had agreed to send Boyd to a local elementary school so that he could meet other kids his age, and while it was a bit of a hassle making the extra commute in the morning before going to work, Gyro always made an effort to personally take Boyd to school. This way, Gyro could make the time to talk to the teacher and ensure that things were going well. Luckily, Boyd hadn’t experienced any major problems so far, and although it did take him a little bit to open up to his other classmates, he was steadily beginning to feel more comfortable talking to others. Gyro also made sure to help Boyd with his homework after school. While Boyd was probably fine on his own considering how smart he was, Gyro liked spending the time with Boyd to teach him since it was one item he could at least say that he was reasonably confident in.</p><p>This was to say nothing of the time that was spent buying furniture and getting Boyd’s room ready. In addition to the general items and toys, Gyro had to hire a mover to help him haul some of the lab’s supplies into their apartment. Boyd obviously had some requirements that weren't typical of other kids, like his recharging station and his regular maintenance checks. While he probably would have been fine with leaving them in the lab, Gyro didn’t want to leave anything to risk, especially after the breakdown that Boyd had experienced earlier.</p><p>In the moments in-between though, Gyro liked to take Boyd to do random activities throughout town, like going to Funzo’s, the aquarium, and other sight-seeing attractions. This may or may not have influenced by Boyd innocently making a remark that Beaks had taken him to some of these places after Beaks had found him at the junkyard, but Gyro would keep that detail to himself for the time being.</p><p>And of course, Gyro helped take Boyd to the mansion so that he could spend time with Huey. Those two were practically inseparable at this point. Gyro figured that they visited the mansion as much as Huey hung out with Boyd at the lab.</p><p>Looking back at everything though, it was strange. Gyro could have never imagined himself in this position. He knew that he didn’t fit into the preconceived notion of a parent that most people typically think of. He was a jaded person that was notoriously difficult to get along with. But after weeks of looking after Boyd, Gyro knew that he couldn’t go back to where he was before. Boyd was like a constant light in his life now, filling him with a sense of warmth that he had never experienced before.</p><p>That didn’t necessarily mean that it was always easy though. Mrs. Drake’s statement kept circling through his head. Sure, he had made several changes, but it didn’t feel like he had done nearly enough. Any feeling of accomplishment he would feel would quickly be followed by a feeling of deep-seated loathing at himself. Was he even deserving of Boyd’s kindness after everything he had done?</p><p>Gyro sighed. He pushed back these thoughts, willing his mind to focus. He needed to get this project down tonight.</p><p>As he stood up from his desk, moving to get a wrench from the overhead cabinet, he suddenly felt a pounding sensation in his head. His vision started to blur and without warning, he felt his legs start to give out on him. Gyro tried to reach for the table as he began to fall, bracing himself for the impact, but it never came.</p><p>Instead, he felt two arms wrap around his middle as he was pulled back up by Fenton.</p><p>Gyro pushed Fenton back as he shakily rose to his feet. He shook his head. “I’m fine. Just feeling a little light-headed.”</p><p>Fenton didn’t look convinced. If anything, he looked even more concerned. “Are you sure? I didn’t know if I should have said anything earlier, but you’ve been looking pale all morning. Maybe you should take the rest of the day off-”</p><p>“No!” Gyro protested.</p><p>Almost as soon as he said it, Gyro flinched. Even he had not expected that out of him. He rubbed the back of his neck.</p><p>“I’m fine. Really, it’s not a big deal. I felt a little feverish this morning when I woke up, but I didn’t have time to run to the pharmacy because I had to take Boyd to school. There isn’t much I can do about it now though. There’s a Junior Woodchuck meeting tonight that Boyd’s been looking forward to and I need to get this done before then.”</p><p>As he said this, Gyro gestured towards the project at his desk. However, as he moved to pull his chair back, he felt his vision start to blur again and he quickly fell back into his seat. He felt exhaustion suddenly weigh on him.</p><p>“Okay…” Gyro took a breath. “Maybe I’m not feeling the best.”</p><p>Fenton pulled up another chair to the desk and sat next to Gyro. “Well, if that’s the case, I could take Boyd to his meeting.”</p><p>Gyro’s eyes widened as he turned to face Fenton. “You would?”</p><p>Fenton nodded. “Of course. I was already planning on going with Huey anyway, so it wouldn’t be a problem.” There was a beat of silence. “You know, you don’t have to push yourself so hard Dr. Gearloose. I can tell that Boyd really appreciates you.”</p><p>Gyro groaned. He slumped down onto his desk. “Half the time I feel like I’m just making stuff up as I go along. That kid deserves the world. Not whatever I have to offer.”</p><p>“Is this because of everything that happened in Tokyolk?” Fenton asked, concerned. “Dr. Gearloose, Boyd doesn’t blame you for that. There’s no way you could have known that Dr. Akita was the one messing with Boyd’s internal hard drive at the time. Besides, I think you’ve been a great role model for Boyd.”</p><p>Gyro shot up from the desk. There was a rare sense of vulnerability in his voice. “You...really think that?”</p><p>Fenton smiled. “Haven’t you seen that Boyd looks at you? He always looks the happiest when you’re together.”</p><p>Gyro’s features softened. His voice was sarcastic, but his tone betrayed that there was a sense of fondness in his words. “Well, that kid can be too sweet for his own good sometimes.”</p><hr/><p>With Boyd now joining what Huey had dubbed “team science,” the lab was almost full of activity with individuals coming and going. Like usual, Gyro spent most of his time working on developing his inventions. While Fenton still assisted Gyro with his work, with his new status as Dr. Crackshell-Cabrera, Fenton now spent more time working on more ambitious projects of his own. Huey and Boyd would typically join the two in the lab in the evening, Huey eagerly asking for advice on his latest ideas and Boyd coming to talk at length about his day at school or how he spent his week with the Drake’s to Gyro.</p><p>It was hectic at times, but while it could sometimes be challenging to focus, Gyro found that he was beginning to prefer it over the long, quiet nights he used to spend by himself at the lab.</p><p>Yes, Gyro thought to himself as he listened to the noise in the background, he wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.</p>
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